A prior art load transport system is shown in FIG. 1. The prior art system includes product trailer 101 pulled by tractor 102. Attached to the front of tractor 102 is hand truck 103. Set of roll-up doors 104 are provided on the product trailer to access product stored on shelves inside. Hand truck 103 is sometimes mounted onto the back of the product trailer.
In a typical prior art approach, the product trailer is loaded at the distribution center with pallets of product. The driver follows a predetermined route based on the order in which the pallets were loaded. On arrival at one of the retail stores, the driver removes the hand truck from its mount. The driver opens the roll up door to access the correct pallet. The driver manually loads the product onto the hand truck. Depending on the load, the driver may have to climb in the bay to reach the correct product. The driver then manipulates the hand truck underneath the stacks of boxes and cartons on the ground before moving them into the retail store. Once the driver has a sufficient amount of product on the hand truck he moves it to a staging area in the retail store. The driver continues to load and move the product into the retail store until the order is complete. The driver restocks the shelves and then moves any remaining delivered product to a storage location in the retail store. The driver removes the hand truck and secures it to the truck. When boxes are stacked beyond a certain point a step stool or built-in steps in the truck will allow the driver to reach the more highly placed boxes. Thus, utilizing the prior approach, the driver will physically handle each component of product (e.g. case) four times before stocking is complete.
To compensate for fatigue, the driver/loader will often begin the day by unloading boxes and cartons from near the top of the product trailer and end the day by unloading boxes and cartons near the floor. The unloading process thus requires that the distribution center stack each pallet, by retail location need, from bottom to top as required by the product transport run for the day.
There are a number of problems with the typical prior art approach. A first problem is that the driver or loader places excessive strain on his back, and on leg and arm muscles when reaching up and out to retrieve heavy boxes and cartons from within the product trailer. Considerable strain is also experienced when placing the heavy boxes and cartons on the ground and when loading or unloading inside the retail store. Hence, the prior art approach is injury prone. Considerable liability insurance is required to protect drivers as a result.
A second problem is that the driver must manually manipulate the cartons and boxes into the retail store using the hand truck. Many times there are significant inclines to be traversed in moving the hand truck from outside to inside the retail store environment. The hand truck and product must be moved through constricted door and walk ways. Many times the walkways are severely inclined or include steps.
A third problem is that the product trailer must be unloaded from top to bottom, in order, so that any changes to the nm for the day will result in additional manual manipulation of materials, costing time and effort. Additional manipulation of product generally increases product damage and loss. It is preferable to provide the driver a means by which to access and more easily remove different product at different times from the trailer.
It is then desirable to reduce injury, potential liability and product loss in unloading and moving product from a product truck to a storage location. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to manipulate heavy boxes and cartons of product trailers.
The prior art has thus far not successfully met the need. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,095B2 to Middleby discloses a hand trolley that includes a chassis formed from side frames comprising parallel frame members, wheels and a base platform provided with a load lifting carriage having a lifting surface. The carriage can be raised from a low position on the base platform to an elevated position by operating a hand winch. However, the repeated use of a hand winch does not eliminate the risk of injury.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,740B2 to Kim et al. disclose a hand truck with an electrically operated lifting platform. The hand truck includes a frame on both sides of which two guide rails are formed. The frame is provided with a threaded shaft vertically supported on the frame to be vertically moved, one or more stabilizing bars forwardly extended from the frame, and two wheels rotatably attached to the rear portion of the frame. However, Kim et al. do not disclose a method of manipulating the frame through constricted doorways or inclined walkways.
U.S. Publication No. 2008/0224433A1 to Setzer et al. disclose a hand truck comprising a powered lifting/lowering tray and controller. The control unit is configured for causing a tray to rise and lower as desired. A scale is mechanically associated with the tray for measuring the weight of an item placed on the scale. However, no provision is made for carrying the hand truck by a vehicle or reconfiguring the hand truck during operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,825 to Bressner discloses a lifting device. The lifting device enables adaptation for objects of varying size. The lifting device includes a mast separable into a plurality of sections and a pulley supported by a first section of the mast. However, Bressner discusses no way to ease the burden of lifting and stacking product.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,605 to Fisher discloses a collapsible, wheeled shopping cart having a horizontal shelf which is vertically movable for loading. The movable shelf may be automatic and movable upwardly when the load on the shelf is decreased or is selectively movable upwardly by a hand crank of a threaded jack or by a piston and cylinder assembly powered by a source of compressed fluid, but Fisher does not eliminate or reduce the possibility of injury due to loading or unloading.
EP Application No. 0726224 to Berg discloses a drum lifting and transporting device. The device has a wheeled frame which stands in an upright position and has vertically moveable drum clamp. A pair of front legs extend generally forwardly and outwardly from the frame. However, Berg also fails to provide a solution for negotiating constricted doorways, walkways or inclines.
The prior art fails to disclose or suggest a mobile load transporter useful for loading and unloading product trucks and similar delivery trucks while being adaptable to various walkways and doorways and while also providing ease of attachment to a vehicle for transport.